The voice resonating in Han Yi's mind belonged to the Great Abyss Divine Blade, which had remained within his Immortal Spirit Realm all this time.
Han Yi had never forgotten that this blade, gifted by the Abyssal Heavenly Venerable, resided within his Immortal Spirit Realm.
The last time Taiyuan had spoken was during Han Yi's Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm, when he had perilously stolen the Life Seed before the Primordial Boundary Wall.
At that time, Han Yi had only been at the peak of the True Immortal stage.
In the blink of an eye, centuries had passed. This period had been tumultuous in the Immortal Realm, and Han Yi had leaped from the peak of the True Immortal stage to become a Peak Profound Immortal.
Now, Taiyuan's voice once again demanded Han Yi's attention. As an entity from ancient times, each revelation he offered was of profound depth, broadening Han Yi's horizons.
"The Chaos Sword Embryo is a path to becoming a Sword Dao Heavenly Venerable."
"However, this path is far from simple. As far as I know, there are two major branches. The first branch involves carving out a Sword Dao Realm Heaven within the Chaos, using this Boundary Heaven as a foundation to nurture the Chaos Sword Embryo. This path demands immense resources and requires the protection of a Heavenly Venerable to complete, making it suitable only for great powers within the Chaos."
"The second branch involves gathering the collective Sword Dao and wisdom of all cultivators in a mature Great World, dedicating boundless time to nurture the Sword Embryo."
"This branch requires a supreme treasure of the Sword Dao to have even a chance of success, and that chance is exceedingly slim."
"As far as I know, after the Primordial Era fragmented, countless Dao Ancestors across the Nine Realms have attempted this path, but none have succeeded."
"The Pure Yang Dao Ancestor must have obtained a supreme treasure of the Sword Dao to conceive the plan of establishing the Pure Yang Mountain Dao Lineage and initiating the Sword Debate Immortal Assembly."
The Great Abyss Divine Blade paused, leaving unsaid:
Years ago, near the massive rift in the southeast of the Immortal Realm, I sensed a familiar aura—the aura of the path leading to the Origin Land of the Primordial Era. The auras of numerous Dao Ancestors gathered before the rift, suggesting they had just returned from that path.
It's highly likely that the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor found this supreme treasure of the Sword Dao on that very path.
However...
That path is no simple matter. The Abyssal Heavenly Venerable once ventured upon it himself, but before he could advance far, he was violently expelled, utterly powerless to resist.
Thus, Taiyuan knows that the Path to Origin is not without a Master—one so formidable that even a Heavenly Venerable can be easily repelled. This likely involves secrets from the Primordial Era, or even the Primordial itself.
"The Chaos Sword Embryo—a supreme treasure of the Sword Dao."
"So that's how it is."
"Pure Yang Dao Ancestor has found the path to becoming a Heavenly Venerable," Han Yi sighed.
Taiyuan scoffed. "The path to a Heavenly Venerable could never be so easy. Each Heavenly Venerable can dominate heaven and earth."
"Decades ago, the Great One's Ascension wasn't through the orthodox path of a Heavenly Venerable, but a shortcut."
"This Pure Yang Dao Ancestor seeks to become the most difficult type of Heavenly Venerable, the Sword Dao Heavenly Venerable. His chances are truly slim."
Taiyuan's voice trailed off.
Han Yi cast a deep look behind him, at the summit of Pure Yang Mountain, where a dense, surging, sea-like Sword Intent roiled like mist.
Then he withdrew his gaze and hurried onward.
Although Pure Yang Mountain had transmission formations, due to the mountain's recent establishment by a major power, they were scarce and reserved exclusively for Sword Cultivators and Sword Immortals. Immortals like Han Yi, participating in the Sword Debate Immortal Assembly, had to leave Pure Yang Mountain and travel to the nearest Immortal City to use a transmission formation.
After flying for the duration of half an incense stick's time, Han Yi spotted a massive Immortal City under construction.
This Immortal City was colossal, built in imitation of the former Ziwei Immortal City of the Great Luo Immortal Realm. Its name, if not for unforeseen circumstances, should undoubtedly be Pure Yang Immortal City.
Recalling what the Great Abyss Divine Blade had said earlier, Pure Yang Dao Ancestor established his Dao Lineage to gather all the Sword Intent from heaven and earth, absorbing the Sword Intent from all Sword Cultivators and Sword Immortals across the Great Luo Immortal Realm.
Han Yi surmised that in the near future, this Immortal City would undoubtedly become a must-visit destination for Sword Cultivators, while Pure Yang Mountain would emerge as their sacred land.
Only then could Pure Yang Dao Ancestor gather the collective will of countless Golden Immortals from the Great Luo Immortal Realm to forge the Chaos Sword Embryo and ultimately attain the status of Sword Dao Heavenly Venerable.
"Heavenly Venerable..."
Han Yi sighed, the sense of urgency surging within him once more.
The Wisdom Realm was in turmoil.
The Brilliant Flame Dao Sacrificer had departed on a Dao Boat to cross the Dao Grave.
Qin Yi had warned of the impending Chaos Cataclysm.
The Great One would stop at nothing to become a Heavenly Venerable.
Now, even the reclusive Dao Ancestors were establishing their Holy Lands and manifesting in the Immortal Realm.
All of this unmistakably signaled that the crisis was relentlessly approaching.
He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the urgency. His cultivation progress was already rapid, but it was impossible to achieve sudden enlightenment and ascend to the ranks of Dao Ancestor, let alone Heavenly Venerable, in a single step.
The Immortal Path demanded unwavering dedication.
Suppressing his thoughts and focusing his spirit, Han Yi left the massive Immortal City under construction and continued his journey.
But just half an incense stick's time later, he halted again.
Three figures had encircled him, their malicious intent palpable. Han Yi frowned at their obscured faces, hidden behind masks adorned with peculiar patterns.
Yet their auras remained unmasked.
"Three Peak Golden Immortals?"
"One Heavenly Demon and two Golden Immortals of the Human Race."
Before him, three Golden Immortals radiated murderous intent, their aura permeating the surrounding space for hundreds of kilometers.
The moment Han Yi saw the three Golden Immortals appear, they attacked without warning.
One of the Golden Immortals produced a mirror. Instead of throwing it upward, he tossed it downward. The mirror vanished, and ripples spread across the space below, transforming it into a mirror surface that obscured the mountains, forests, and earth beneath.
The mirror surface expanded with terrifying speed, completing its transformation in less than a thousandth of a kshana. Han Yi had no time to react; the thought had barely formed in his mind before he found himself suspended above the mirror.
In the next instant, the entire space transformed. Every direction—front, back, left, right, and even above—became a smooth mirror surface. The three masked Golden Immortals before him were also trapped within the mirror.
However, this mirror was an Immortal Artifact belonging to his opponents, placing Han Yi at a severe disadvantage. With a thought, he enveloped himself in a layer of dark gray light—the Four Origins Dao Technique, his most relied-upon defense.
As his cultivation had advanced, the defensive power of the Four Origins Dao Technique had greatly increased. Even a Peak Golden Immortal would struggle to break through this barrier in a single strike.
Next, he layered on a golden Supreme Ancient Immortal Divine Body.
Simultaneously, the Green Ripple Sword appeared in his hand, surrounded by three Fifth-Rank Immortal Swords.
The black Burial Path Dragon God Sword, embodying the Path of Annihilation; the golden Dragon Abyss Evil-Suppressing Sword, capable of Evil-Slaying and repelling evil; and the silver Xuan Capital Soul-Slaying Sword, capable of shaking souls.
Just as Han Yi was retrieving his swords for defense,
several tens of miles ahead, two other Golden Immortals also made their moves.
One Golden Immortal held a Pill Furnace in one hand. After activating Mirror Space, he tilted the furnace, and a stream of crimson-gold flame poured out.
The flame, upon leaving the furnace, instantly transformed into a terrifying torrent, resembling a vast river of fire, surging towards Han Yi.
Even from several tens of miles away, the scorching heat was palpable, causing Han Yi's expression to grow even more grave.
Logically, such an intensely hot flame should have instantly burned through normal space, piercing through it and exposing the underlying spatial turbulence.
Yet what he observed was space merely trembling slightly, remaining unbroken.
Han Yi immediately realized the cause: the mirror.
One function of Mirror Space was to stabilize the space, allowing the flame from the mysterious Pill Furnace to engulf him without destroying the surrounding space.
As Han Yi's expression turned grave, the third Golden Immortal also made his move.
This Golden Immortal emanated an exceptionally heavy demonic aura, marking him as a peak-level Heavenly Demon.
Instead of attacking, the Heavenly Demon drew a dagger and severed one of his fingers.
The severed finger fell, exploded, and transformed into a strange black rune. The rune flickered gently as it rose above the group, began to rotate, and projected its image downward under the Mirror Space's light.
The moment the projection settled, Han Yi found himself immobilized.
It felt as if all the Immortal Power and divine power within him had lost their vitality, becoming unresponsive.
His expression shifted again.
If these were merely three ordinary peak Golden Immortals, he wouldn't have feared them.
But these three peak Golden Immortals wielded bizarre techniques that clearly complemented each other, demonstrating exceptional coordination.
The Mirror Space served as both a prison and a stable environment. The black rune immobilized the power within him, while the Pill Furnace's fire became the killing blow.
Once Han Yi was engulfed by the fire, even his formidable protective barrier would crumble quickly under the Immortal Fire's refining power.
Moreover, judging by their cultivation realms, this Immortal Fire was likely of the Sixth-Tier.
Of course.
Though Han Yi's expression shifted, he wasn't yet at the end of his rope.
As a last resort, he still had the Ancient Divine Artifact—the Great Abyss Divine Blade had only recently appeared and surely wouldn't abandon him in his hour of need.
However, if there was even a sliver of hope to rely on his own strength, he would never resort to outside help.
His Immortal Sense surged. Though his Immortal Power was restrained, he suddenly remembered his Life Seed—a reserve of Primordial Power, a higher, ethereal force beyond Immortal Power.
Though his Life Seed was dwindling, he had always reserved it for critical moments, when his very life was at stake.
With a single thought, his remaining 1,389 units of Life Seed were instantly depleted.
At that precise moment, all the power within his body suddenly broke free from its restraints. The black rune suspended in mid-air froze momentarily, its rotation halted as if caught by some invisible, mysterious force.
The freeze lasted for less than a tenth of a kshana—a fleeting instant.
But for Han Yi, that was enough.
He burned his Immortal Power, channeled divine power, and even drew terrifying Demonic Power from the Wild Desolate Heartstone.
Before the black rune could resume its rotation, he unleashed True World Eternity and Mind Realm Immortal Technique simultaneously, propelling his speed to that of a Peak Golden Immortal.
Yet paradoxically, he sheathed his three Fifth-Rank Immortal Swords.
At that moment, the most crucial action was Han Yi's Green Ripple Sword, which descended with force.
Indeed.
In that instant, Han Yi wasn't focused on killing his enemies. With his current strength, it would be difficult to simultaneously face three Peak Golden Immortals, especially three who were clearly experts in assassination.
When these three Golden Immortals attacked, Han Yi had already guessed their origin: the Black Realm, one of the three major organizations in the Immortal Realm.
The Black Realm was the greatest assassin organization in the Great Luo Immortal Realm, without rival.
These three Black Realm assassins had set a trap specifically for him. If they were given time to react, who knew what even more bizarre methods they might unleash?
Therefore, Han Yi's strategy to break free from this trap was to remove himself from the situation, avoiding being trapped within the Mirror Space. Remaining within it would keep him perpetually at a disadvantage.
These weren't ordinary Golden Immortals, but three peak assassins whose cultivation realms were a full major realm higher than Han Yi's. No matter how strong he was or how many methods he possessed, Han Yi remained extremely cautious.
Although the Green Ripple Sword was only a Sixth-Rank Immortal Artifact, its inherent quality was exceptionally high. With a single, forceful slash, it lived up to Han Yi's expectations, effortlessly cleaving the Mirror Space beneath his feet.
A golden light flashed.
He had already used the Escape Technique to descend and vanished.
In the temporal dimension, from the moment the three masked Golden Immortals appeared, launched their attack, and Han Yi burned his remaining Life Seed, it took less than a tenth of a kshana to break free from the black rune, channel his Immortal Power, strike with his sword, shatter the Mirror Space, and flee.
The entire sequence took far less than a single breath.
The moment Han Yi escaped, the three Golden Immortals moved.
The rotating black rune was reclaimed by the Demon Race Golden Immortal, transforming back into a finger that seamlessly reattached to his hand, leaving no trace.
The crimson-gold flames were absorbed into the Pill Furnace of the central Golden Immortal.
The space beneath their feet rippled, reforming into a mirror that fell back into the hands of the first Golden Immortal.
"Mission failed," a raspy voice, its gender indistinguishable, emerged from the Golden Immortal who had retrieved the mirror.
The other two Golden Immortals nodded slightly.
Instead of pursuing Han Yi further, the three Golden Immortals used their Escape Techniques to vanish in three different directions.
From their appearance to their disappearance, the entire encounter lasted only a single breath.
After escaping the Mirror Space, Han Yi put some distance between himself and his pursuers. He then tore open a spatial rift and plunged into the Spatial Turbulence, using the North Mang Immortal Scripture combined with the Chaotic Star Immortal Art to disrupt any traces of Causality that might lead back to him.
Half an incense stick's time later, Han Yi arrived at the nearest large Immortal City, Qingluo Immortal City, which belonged to the Azure Profound Dao Field.
Inside Qingluo Immortal City, Han Yi stepped into a Transmission Formation and teleported back to the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. Only then did he slowly exhale, relieved.
As he left the Teleportation Hall and walked onto Nine Rivers Plaza, Han Yi's expression gradually calmed.
How close that was...
The moment he had been immobilized had been terrifyingly close. If he hadn't possessed his Life Seed, he would have had no choice but to fight to the death. Even if he managed to escape or even kill those three Golden Immortals, he would have been left severely injured.
That Weird Mask Golden Immortal... its behavior closely resembles that of the Black Realm Assassins.
"Could we uncover their true identities through the methods they used?" Han Yi wondered, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
He wasn't one to suffer a beating without retaliation.
In the Great Luo Immortal Realm, Black Realm assassins were rampant, many of them being Immortals from major powerhouses. Han Yi believed even the Sui Zhu Immortal Court likely harbored such assassins.
These assassins concealed themselves so deeply that they were extremely difficult to discover.
Rumor had it that the founder of the Black Realm was none other than a Dao Ancestor, though no one had ever uncovered which Immortal Court's Dao Ancestor this might be—not even other Dao Ancestors.
With this thought, Han Yi flew to the Golden Immortal Pavilion within the Heavenly Candle Hall.
Moments later, inside the Golden Immortal Pavilion, Han Yi submitted a mission to the Ruyi Golden Immortal on duty. It was an investigation mission: to find any Peak Golden Immortals within the Immortal Realm who employed methods similar to those he had listed.
Moreover, Han Yi marked in the information that these three Golden Immortals were highly likely to be from the Black Realm.
Upon seeing this mission request, the Ruyi Golden Immortal's pupils constricted, and she gasped. From the nature of the mission, it seemed Han Yi had likely encountered an assassination attempt by three Peak Golden Immortal assassins.